The first Manning Award Match-up for 2009 features Oregon's Jeremiah Masoli and Boise State's Kellen Moore. Masoli, a junior, takes his Ducks into Broncos territory to take on Moore in a WAC - Pac 10 showdown. Last year, Masoli completed 136-of-239 passes for 1,744 yards with 14 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also rushed 127 times for 718 yards and 10 touchdowns as Oregon finished the season at 9-3. However, his Ducks lost their season-opener to Boise in 2008 when Masoli was knocked out of the game early with a concussion.

Moore, a sophomore, finished last season with 25 touchdowns, completing 281-of-405 passes for 3,486 yards. He had 10 interceptions and a completion percentage of 69.4 as Boise State finished the season 12-0. Both quarterbacks will be looking to lead their teams to season-opening wins as they begin their bid for the 2009 Manning Award.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates' bowl performances.

While the preseason Watch List includes just 38 quarterbacks, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible for the honor. Additional quarterbacks may be added to the Watch List after the start of the season. Ten finalists will be determined by a selected panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Monday, Nov. 30. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 14.

The first five winners of the Manning Award reads like a Who's Who list at the quarterback position. USC's Matt Leinart was the inaugural winner of the award in 2005, followed by Texas' Vince Young in 2006. Both went on to be top 10 NFL draft picks. In 2007, LSU's JaMarcus Russell earned the award and was the NFL's No. 1 draft pick. Boston College's Matt Ryan claimed the award in 2008 and was drafted No. 3, quickly becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Last year's winner was Florida's Tim Tebow, who will bid to become the first repeat winner this season.